I've been wrong about 7 things i learned angel investing in 20+ more times than I'd like to admit. But the last mistake taught me something I can't unlearn.
I've been in the Silicon Valley trenches for over a decade, and I've never seen a shift as massive as AI in healthcare. I'm sharing the hard-won lessons from my own startups and investments—the wins, the failures, and the counterintuitive strategies that actually work.
The Framework That Actually Works
I'm going to share the exact framework I use when evaluating 7 things i learned angel investing in 20+. It's not complicated, but it requires discipline.
Step 1: your team matters more than your technology This is where most people go wrong. They skip this step entirely and jump straight to execution. Don't do that.
Step 2: the best solutions are often the simplest ones Once you have the foundation right, this becomes much easier. I've watched founders struggle with this for months when the answer was staring them in the face.
Step 3: Iterate relentlessly Nothing works perfectly the first time. The companies in my portfolio that nail 7 things i learned angel investing in 20+ are the ones that treat it as an ongoing process, not a one-time project.
Why Most Approaches Fail
Let me be direct: about 70% of the approaches I see to 7 things i learned angel investing in 20+ are fundamentally flawed. Not slightly off. Fundamentally flawed.
The root cause is usually one of three things:
- Copying what big companies do without understanding why they do it. What works for Google doesn't work for a 10-person startup.
- Over-engineering the solution when a simple approach would work better. I've seen teams spend six months building something that could have been done in two weeks.
- Ignoring the human element. Technology is the easy part. Getting people to actually use it is where the real challenge lives.
What I've Learned From 117 Companies
After investing in 200+ startups and running two companies to successful exits, I've developed a pretty clear picture of what works with 7 things i learned angel investing in 20+.
The biggest misconception is that you need to customer feedback is the only metric that matters. That's backwards. The companies that win are the ones that simplicity beats complexity every time.
I remember sitting with the Anthropic team early on and discussing how they thought about 7 things i learned angel investing in 20+. Their approach was counterintuitive but brilliant.
The Numbers Don't Lie
I've tracked the performance of companies in my portfolio that take 7 things i learned angel investing in 20+ seriously versus those that don't. The difference is stark.
Companies that invest early in 7 things i learned angel investing in 20+ see, on average, 2-3x better outcomes within 18 months. That's not a small edge. That's the difference between raising your next round and running out of runway.
One of my portfolio companies went from struggling to profitable in under a year after they finally got serious about this. The founder told me later that they wished they'd started sooner.
This connects to broader themes around AI diagnostics, medical AI, drug discovery AI that I've been thinking about a lot lately.
Final Thoughts
After two exits, 200+ investments, and more mistakes than I can count, here's what I know for sure about 7 things i learned angel investing in 20+: there are no shortcuts, but there are smarter paths.
The smartest founders I work with treat 7 things i learned angel investing in 20+ as a competitive advantage, not a checkbox. They invest in it early, measure it obsessively, and never stop improving.
If you're just getting started with 7 things i learned angel investing in 20+, don't be intimidated. Everyone starts somewhere. The key is to start with the right mindset and the right framework, and then execute like your company depends on it. Because it probably does.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which item on this list has the highest impact?
It depends on your stage and context, but in my experience, the items near the top of the list tend to have the broadest applicability. That said, sometimes the less obvious items create the biggest breakthroughs for specific situations.
Are these recommendations still relevant in 2026?
Absolutely. While specific tools and tactics change, the underlying principles remain consistent. I update my thinking regularly based on what I'm seeing in the market and across my portfolio companies.
How were these items selected?
Each item on this list comes from direct experience, either from building my own companies or from patterns I've observed across the 200+ startups I've invested in. I prioritize practical, actionable items over theoretical concepts.
Can I implement all of these at once?
I'd strongly recommend against it. Pick the 2-3 items that resonate most with your current situation and focus there. Trying to do everything simultaneously is a recipe for doing nothing well.